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Food resilience discussion connects Gulf Island growers and consumers

Two cupped hands hold a mound of fresh strawberries.
As food security becomes a growing topic, speakers at the RIEP's February public Zoom event suggested it's imperative to make local produce more accessible in both supply and cost. Photo by Artur Rutkowski on Unsplash
Anastasia Avvakumova - CKTZ - Cortes Island • BC | 03-03-2022
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Rural Islands Economic Partnership (RIEP) hosted a virtual meeting focused on local food resilience on Feb. 22, as part of their monthly Connection Café series.

The bulk of the event was a panel discussion between six representatives from various Gulf Islands, who formed a group of “rural island farmers, food producers and food resilience champions,” which included Filipe Figueria from Cortes Community Economic Development Association.

One recurring theme throughout the event was the huge benefit of connection and collaboration for mutual support.

There were many challenges recognized, such as the shortage of land and housing accessibility, the steep learning curve of organic farming and competing with heavily subsidized commercial agricultural products, to name a few.

Positive outlooks included the motivation the looming food crisis provides, subsidies that could incentivize supply and demand for locally grown food, and ways that small growers could band together to enter the supply system.

A recording of the event is available on the RIEP website.

Listen to the CKTZ News summary below:

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